Maybe It's Fate
by simmygirl
Summary: AU. She is a 2nd grade teacher. He is a star blitzball player. They were inseparable in high school, but five years changes alot. Y/T
1. Chapter 1

A/N - Okay, This would be my second story. This is rather short, but I always do that(I'm just to lazy to right a 4,000 word chapter). Well Anyway, I hope you like/hate this chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy or any characters.

* * *

Yuna sighed as she heard the bell ring, indicating that lunch had just ended. She had just got done grading quizzes that weren't exactly great. _Maybe teaching them multiplication in one month wasn't long enough for them._ she thought as she chuckled a bit.

She looked up when she heard the children enter the classroom, as they laughed about something that probably happened at lunch. They quickly took their seats while still talking to eachother. Yuna stood up from her chair and walked to the front of the room. As she did this, the class room seemed to quiet down. They always did this, as they didn't want to get sent to the principle's office. Yuna had actually never done that before, because she never really had the heart to do so.

She smiled at them and clapped her hands together, "Okay class, I have just got done grading your math quizzes." Many groans were then heard from the students, "And I think everyone knows how they did." Some students smiled proudly, and the rest of them frowned.

Then a little girl named Olivia stood up, and crossed her arms while smiling knowingly, "I got a hundred, didn't I Miss Yuna." Some of the boys rolled their eyes and one of them, who was one of the smartest kids in the class, yelled out, "Not if you take away the two zeroes!" Yuna rolled her eyes as the class erupted in laughter.

Olivia glared at the boy, "Yeah, thats what you got Ethan! A big fat ten!" She yelled at him. Yuna couldn't help but to let out a little laugh, "That would be just a one Olivia." Olvia then ducked her head down in embarrassment as the class once again laughed loudly. Yuna shushed the class quickly and walked to Olivia's desk. She bent down to her height and whispered, "Its okay Olivia, you beat him by one point in the math quiz." Olivia then jumped up with a huge smile on her face and pointed at Ethan, "Haha I did better than you on the math quiz!"

Ethan then crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair, "Whatever." he mumbled. Yuna looked at Olivia with her hands on her hips, "Olivia, no gloating about your grade please." Olivia shot one last smile at Ethan, then sat in her seat. Yuna sighed and then went to starting the lesson. _this is going to be a long day._

* * *

Tidus laughed along with his teammates while giving high-fives to them in the locker room. The Zanarkand Abes had won by only one point. Tidus was the one who somehow managed to score within the last 5 seconds of the game. He was always the player who would help get his team out of those kind of situations.

"That was truly unbelievable kid." The couch told him. Tidus grinned and said, "Well I am an unbelievable guy."

"That was an amazing shot Ti, but do you know what wil be even more amazing... the party!" One of his teammates told him. Tidus rolled his eyes. He hated going to those parties after the game. There was just way to many people, people he didn't even know. And they were also too loud.

"No way! I thought I told you guys I don't go to the after parties." He told them. The team looked at eachother, then burst out laughing. Tidus then sighed and looked down. They were going to bring it up again.

"Oh comeon Tidus, just because you woke up and found out you had a tattoo that said 'Big Macie' on your back doesn't mean anything happened that night." The whole team started to laugh even more.

Tidus looked up and told them, "Hey, now I don't know what exactly happened that night but-." He was then cut off by another one of his teammates, "I think we all know what happened that night Ti." The teams laughter became even more louder, if possible. Tidus shook his head and stood up, "Okay, well you guys have a good time at the party. I'll catch you guys later." And with at he turned to leave.

When Tidus got out, he was immidiately mauled by the paparazzi . He made his way through them, ignoring their questions and camera flashes. Tidus couldn't count how many untrue articles he had read about him. They say he is dating one girl, then the next week he is engaged to her. He honestly never really cared what they had said about him. Why would he? He knew they were untrue, and thats all that mattered. For once though, he wished they would just leave him alone. He was a blitzball player, so what?

Tidus finally reached his car and got in. He then started making his way back to his house, well he wouldn't even call it a house, it was actually more like a mansion. he hadn't originally wanted to buy it, but his manger, Kai, had insisted on him buying it. Tidus didn't really mind, considering he was rarely there.

His thoughts were cut off by the ring of his cell phone. He reached into his pocket and took it out, carefully looking at the call id. It was of-course his manger. He called every time he finish a game. He sighed in annoyance and flipped the phone open.

"Whats up Kai." He answered.

He then heard the annoying voice of his manager, "Tidus! That was a great game you had."

Tidus rolled his eyes, "Yeah, yeah. Is that why you called? Because if it is I'm hanging up now." He said while pulling up to his house.

"Actually, that was part of the reason I called. The other reason I called is because next week you are going to go to this school to talk to the kids there. You know, just to talk about what it feels like to be a star athlete."

Tidus put his head on the stearing wheel and closed his eyes, "I dont recall you asking me about this."

"Well I'm sorry Tidus, but I can't call them now and say you arn't going. Comeon Tidus, the kids that go there are so excited that you're coming to their school."

Tidus sighed, "Fine, I'll go. Mind telling me where this school might be?" He asked. "Of-course. Its in a town Called Besaid. Hey, didn't you grow up there?" He asked. Tidus was beyond shocked to hear where the school was. He hadn't been there in five years. He had left so many people he cared about behind so he could persue his dream. He left _her _behind.

"Ti? You there?" Tidus was pulled out of his though, shaking his head, "Yeah I'm here. And yes, I did grow up there." He said. "Well thats great then! Oh man, the wife is home, I have to go. I will call you though in the morining. Bye." Tidus heard a click and flipped his phone shut. He leaned back in the car seat and closed his eyes. This was going to be interesting.

* * *

Yuna was sitting at her desk, waiting for the final bell to ring as everyone in the class was trying to get their homework they we going to have that night done. The final bell then rang through the school, as the whole class scrambled out of the classroom. "Remember to get your homework finished for tomorrow." She called after them.

After Yuna had finished grading all of her students tests, she then started making her way out of the building. As she was just about to reach her car, she heard a voice shout her name. She turned around and saw the 3rd grade teacher, Rikku, or Miss Rikku as the children would call her. Rikku was her cousin. As kids, they were best friends, but when they were both 10, Yuna had to move. They met up again in college and they both decided in college that they both wanted to be teachers. They promised that they would be there for eachother through thick and thin. So, they both got jobs at the same school. Ironic, right?

Yuna smiled at her, "Hi Rikku, why so happy?"

Rikku smiled excitedly at her, "Well wouldn't you be happy if you learned a player from the Zanarkand Abes is going to visit at your school?!" Yuna's smile immediately vanished as Rikku mentioned the Zanarkand Abes. She then pushed the bad memories out of her head, noticing the confused look Rikku was giving her.

"What, you don't like that team?" Rikku asked her, noticing her change in mood.

Yuna quickly smiled again, "No no, I like them. Its just that I am really suprised to hear that. But, why would they go to this school?" She asked.

"Well he actually use to live in this town! Can you believe it?"

Yuna nodded. Inside, she was dreading hearing what the player's name was. _It couldn't be him... it just can't be. _She kept trying to convince her self it wasn't. Besides, there are alot more players from the Zanarakand Abes who were from this town... right? She had to know the name.

"So, which player would it be?" Yuna asked. Riku smiled even brighter when she asked, "It is the most hottest player on the whole team!" Yuna sighed in fustration because she still hasn't told her his name. "His name Rikku." Rikku looked at her and laughed, "Well I don't know if I should tell you that when you talk to me in that tone of voice."

Yuna sighed and crossed her arms, "Fine Rikku, will you pretty please tell me his name?" She asked, clearly annoyed. _This is going to go on forever. _

Rikku pretended to be in thought for a minute, "Okay, okay I will tell you. Get ready to scream for joy Yuna. The player that is coming to our school is Tidus! Can you believe it!" She screamed, while jumping up and down, waving her arms. Yuna froze, feeling like the whole world had stopped for a moment. Oh she couldn't believe it alright.

* * *

A/N - Hey, I never said it was going to be good.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N - Chapter Two. This actually took me longer than I though it would, even though it's short(again). I just couldn't think of what I was going to write in this chapter, but I did somehow. I am now putting a twist in this story. I didn't think of it until now...it's kind of a big part of the story now. I am going to start mentioning it in this chapter. You guys are probably going to figure it out though(I suck at trying to keep secrets). Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter. Oh, and thanks to the people who reviewed! :)

* * *

Yuna currently sat on the couch in her living room, tear stains evident on her face. It was Sunday. Tomorrow was the day Tidus was going to visit the school she teaches at. She didn't want to think about it. It would be so akward seeing him again after five long years. She really didn't think she would be able to go through seeing him again without falling in love all over. She kept telling herself that wouldn't happen. What if it did though? What if she fell for him after taking one look into his ocean blue eyes. What if she fell for him, but he didn't return the feelings. She couldn't take another broken heart caused by the same guy.

Yuna's jumped when she heard the phone ring. She sighed and got up to answer it. When she got to it, she picked it up and answered.

"Hello?" She asked.

"Yunie!" Yuna held the phone alittle away from her ear, hearing the over-excited voice of her cousin.

Yuna chuckled slightly, "Hello Rikku. What up?"

"Nothing really, I'm am just so ecstactic about tomorrow! I still can't believe he is going to the school!" Rikku yelled excitely.

Yuna sighed and leaned against the wall, "Yeah, about that. Rikku, I'm not feeling all that great today, and if I feel like this tomorrow, I'm going to just call in sick."

"What! Are you serious?...You can't miss this Yunie, it's a one time kind of thing." Rikku told her. Yuna closed her eyes and slid down onto the floor, "I know Rikku, but I am really not feeling good. I can't just go to school while I'm sick." Yuna hated lying, but what else was she going to say? That she can't go because she wouldn't be able to stand seeing her ex-boyfriend?

"Fine," Rikku said, defeated, "But you are going to regret it."

"Yeah, yeah. I will call you tomorrow then, okay Rikku? Be sure to tell me how it went." Yuna said.

"Okay, I will. Bye Yunie. Oh, and tell Kate I said hi." Rikku said.

"I will." Yuna mumbled

Yuna put the phone down and put her head in her hands. She hoped she wouldn't regret it

* * *

MONDAY

Tidus had just arrived in Besaid and nothing had changed a bit. Tidus smiled as he passed an oh-so familiar beach. He remembered all the times he and his friends would go there during the Summer. So many memories in such a small town. His eyes brightened as he arrived at a school that held so many more memories from childhood.

As he drove through the parking lot, Tidus then spotted Kai leaning against his car with his arms crossed, looking angry. Kai was never the kind of patient guy. Tidus gave a small smile before parking his car next to his. Tidus got out and looked at his manger's face.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

Kai shook his head, "What's wrong? Tidus, you were suppose to show up an hour ago!" He yelled.

"Well the traffic was horrible, I'm sorry." He told him while looking back at the school.

Kai sighed, "You know, you could've took your jet here, or you could've atleast came here on Saturday."

"Yeah, I know, but you know flying makes me sick. And I had practice on Saturday." Tidus said.

Kai just shook his head again and looked at Tidus, "Alright, you're late as it is, so comeon. The kids are at lunch now, so I guess this gives you the chance to meet the teachers." He said, motioning for Tidus to follow him walking towards the school entrance.

Tidus shoved his hands in his pockets. He noticed that there were no paparazzi there. Well, atleast nobody followed him.

Tidus and Kai walked through the doors of the school. Tidus looked around and took in everything. Nothing had really changed. Tidus liked that. He always hated change. He remembered trying to adjust to his new life in Zanarkand. He was so uncomfortable at first, but he eventually had got used to it. Still, he wished he could've just stayed in Besaid, it would've been better.

"This would be the principal's office." He heard Kai say, as they entered. Tidus couldn't help but to chuckle. He had been here so many times as a kid. He wasn't a rebel kid, but he wasn't a innocent one either.

The principal was there already, apparently waiting for them. Tidus looked at him and his eyes widened in shock, realizing he looked alot like someone he knew...was he?

"Baralai?" He questioned. The man looked at him and smiled.

"That's my name. Tidus...it's been awhile." He said. Tidus was still shocked that one of his best friends from high school was a principal. When did that happen?

Tidus nodded, still smiling, "Yeah, it has been. So, might want to tell me how you became a principal? I thought you wanted to be journalist?" He said.

Baralai shrugged, "I did. When it came time to actually leave the school, it was like something was holding me back, you know. I couldn't leave school behind. I mean comeon, I love it."

Tidus laughed, remembering how obsessed he was with school. He remembered how Baralai would always study for a test the day the teacher annouced it, and how he would be in the library for the most of his day, "Yeah, you were kind of crazy with school." He said laughing along with Baralai.

Kai looked very confused, "Wait...so you guys know eachother from highschool?" Tidus and Barlai looked at him and both nodded. "Oh, well that's great!" Kai then looked and his watch for a second, "Well then I actually have to go, if you don't mind Tidus. If you'll excuse me." He said before leaving the office.

"So Tidus, would you like a tour of the school?" Baralai asked.

"Yeah sure. It would be nice to see what happened to this school." Tidus said. They left the office and walked through the halls. Barlai introduced Tidus to some of the teachers, while talking to him about highschool.

Tidus wondered of Baralai knew anything about what happened to the rest of their friends. So he decided to ask him.

"Baralai...do you know what happened to everyone else?" He asked. Baralai stopped and looked at him, "Actually yeah, I do," He said, "Well, you see, alot has happened since you left. Lets start off with Gippal. Gippal works as a lawyer here in Besaid," Tidus laughed, "I know, right. He became so interested in it for some reason. He said he likes to win. I don't know what that really has to do with it, but it was his choice. Okay so anyway, Paine became psychiatrist, I guess she wanted to help other people. She also works in Besaid, and me and her are also married." He said showing Tidus his wedding ring.

Tidus chuckled and said, "I knew it. I knew you guys would make it. You didn't believe me though, did you?" Baralai laughed along with Tidus, "Well we were young, I had no idea what the future held."

Tidus shook his head, "No, you guys were soul mates, don't deny it." He told him.

"Yeah, we were, weren't we." Baralai said.

Tidus looked down and became silent. Baralai didn't tell him what happened to Yuna yet.

Barlai noticed his silence, and he knew why he was acting like this, "You want to know what happened to Yuna, don't you?" He asked.

Tidus's head snapped up, "Yeah...I do."

Baralai nodded, "She didn't know what to do after high school. She was so confused, you know. After summer was over, she finally decided." Tidus waited anxiously for what Barlai was about to say, "She wanted to be a teacher Tidus. And she did," Barlai smiled before continuing, "She works here Tidus. She is the second grade teacher." After Barlai said that, Tidus immidately started to look around.

Baralai sighed and told him, "She isn't here though today. She called in sick. She knew you were coming to visit here though. My guess is she lied about being sick so she wouldn't have to see you."

Tidus's eyes saddened, "She hates me, doesn't she?" He asked.

"No, Tidus, thats not it. It's just...I mean comeon, you broke her heart. What do you expect?" He said. Tidus was now confused. He broke her heart? She told _him_ that _she_ wanted to break up. She was the one who kept telling him that it wouldn't work because they were going to different colleges, while he kept telling her that he would go to the college in Besaid. _She _broke his heart.

Tidus was about to say something, before being interrupted by a very loud voice, "Oh...my...gosh! Tidus, it's really you!" A blonde woman came running up to him, jumping up and down.

"Tidus this is Rikku, the 3rd grade teacher. And she actually Yuna's cousin." Baralai told him.

Rikku then had a look of confusion come across her face, "Yuna? You know her?" She asked Tidus.

Tidus smiled weakly at her, "Yeah, we went to high school together, along with Baralai." He said. Rikku's eyes widened. Why hadn't Yuna told her she knew Tidus? She would have to ask her that later.

"Wait," Rikku said pointing at Barlai, "Why didn't you say that you knew him?" She asked. Barlai shrugged, "Didn't think it was important."

"Um, excuse me." Tidus said before Rikku exploded, "Baralai, if it's okay, can you please tell me where Yuna lives? I would like to see her after I'm done here, if thats okay." He asked.

Baralai smiled at him, "I think I could do that. I'll tell you after school, okay?" Tidus smiled and nodded, "Thank you." He said as the bell rang.

* * *

Yuna laid in her bed with her eyes closed, think about what would've happened if she went to work today. She could've said the she didn't regret not going today, but that would be a lie. She let acouple tears call down her face. Her life was filled with so many what-ifs. She never thought she would ever see him again, and she still might never see him. _He probably already moved on. _She thought. Why did she tell him to go to that college anyway? It was all because of one thing she was afraid to tell him. That one thing could've lead to him staying with her or leaving her.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the doorbell. She groaned and slowly got up. It was probably Rikku telling her how exciting it was to see Tidus or something along those lines. She walked into the living room and to the door. She slowly turned the doorknob and opened the door.

"Rikku, listen I am no-." She stopped, realizing it wasn't Rikku. She seemed to just freeze at that moment, looking into those same blue eyes of the person she thought she would never see again.

He smiled at her, his eyes shining, "Hello Yuna, long time no see." Yuna didn't say anything, she couldn't. What was he doing? How did he know where she lived? there was so many questions she wanted to ask. What are you supposed to say to the guy you fell in love with after five years apart?

"Hi?" She said in a small voice. _smooth._


	3. Chapter 3

Yuna's eyes didn't leave Tidus's. She was shocked, she was even beyond shocked. She stood still. There he was, her high school sweet heart, standing at her doorstep with that famous smile of his. She blinked a few times just to make sure he was actually there.

Tidus looked down, "Yeah, I'm actually here...it's good to see you again Yuna." He said.

Yuna opened her mouth, but then closed it. _You look like an idiot. Say something! _She thought to herself, "Um...yeah hi." Didn't she already say that?

Tidus chuckled, "Yeah, you used that greeting already."

Yuna had somehow finally managed to find her voice, "Oh, come in." She said holding the door open for him. He nodded and gave her a warm smile that made her melt. She showed him to the living room and they both sat down.

Yuna, suprisingly, was the one to break the silence, "What are doing here Tidus." She said in a very low voice. He sighed and looked up at her, "I thought it would be nice to come back her. There are so many memories here. I grew up here. And another reason is because...well...I actually wanted to see you Yuna." He told her.

Yuna's eyes widened. He wanted to see her...but why?

"Why?" She asked.

"Why? Well I haven't seen you in five years Yuna. Why aren't you happy to see me? Why do you hate me now?" He asked. He was hurt. He knew by the way she was acting when she saw him. She didn't show one sign of happiness.

Yuna shook her head and quickly responded, "No! Tidus that's not it.You have to believe me when I say that hating you is something I could never do. I'm just suprised. I thought you forgot about me." She said.

"How could I forget about you? I have thought about you every single day in the past five years. I'm still confused why you wanted me to go to Zanarkand." He told her.

"Listen, can we please not discuss this now?" She asked. She really couldn't talk about this now. She honestly hoped he wouldn't bring it up, but she knew he probably would have. She hurt him...more than she realized.

Tidus looked confused, "Why not now? Why can't we ju--." Tidus sentence was cut off by a very small, loud voice.

"Mommy!" Tidus looked behind him and saw a little girl with short brown hair, running towards Yuna. His eyes widened when he saw Yuna engulf her in a hug. Wait...Why did she call Yuna her mom?

Then a very familiar voice Tidus reconized yelled, "Yunie, I have a questi-." Rikku stopped and kept shifting her eyes from Yuna to Tidus.

Yuna on the other hand, was very nervous at that point. "Hi Rikku. Thanks for picking Kate up."

Rikku nodded, eyes still focused on Tidus, "Yeah...no problem. Um, I have to go. It was nice seeing you again Tidus." Tidus gave her a small smile. Rikku gave Yuna a confused look before leaving.

Kate then looked at Tidus and tilted her head, "Who are you?" She asked. Tidus smiled at her, she looked so much like Yuna, but...who was the father?

"Hi, my name is Tidus." He said, sticking out his hand. Kate looked at it for a minute before putting her small hand into his large one.

Kate smiled brightly at him with her familiar pair of blue eyes, "My name is Kate." She said. Tidus looked at Yuna, who was smiling at him and Kate. "Kate, why don't you go play in your room. I'll be there in a minute." Yuna told Katie. Kate looked at her and nodded, and ran to her room.

"How old is she?" Tidus mumbled, looking down at his hands.

"She is going to be five next month." She replied quietly. Tidus's eyes widened. She was turning five? Tidus sat there, in thought. Silence filled the room.

For the next couple minutes neither of them said anything, that is until Tidus finally decided to say something, "So...you cheated on me in high school?" He asked.

Yuna looked at him like he was insane, "You think I cheated on you?" She asked. He really was never the brightest.

Tidus then stood up, glaring at her. "Well that is the only conclussion there is!" He yelled.

It was Yuna's turn to become angry, "Are you kidding me!? I spent mostly every moment with you in highschool, how could you even think that of me? The other times I was either studying or with Rikku and Paine," She sighed in fustration, "You are just so dense sometimes Tidus." She whispered.

Tidus ran a hand through his hair, thinking. Had she really cheated on him? He started to get a headache from what was happening. Nothing was making sense to him. Who was Kate's father? That question kept nagging him. He and Yuna...they never had-. Wait. All the memories from prom started to rush into his head. _I'm her father. _he thought. His eyes then traveled to Yuna's.

"So...I'm the father?" He asked. Yuna smiled meekly at him, before nodding her head slowly. Tidus was now even more shocked. This wasn't happening. So many emotions were going through him at that moment. He was a father for five years and he never knew.

Tidus shook his head, "I don't believe it," He mumbled, "So, you just let me leave. You let me leave without even thinking about how I felt." He said. He was angry. Why hadn't she told him?

Yuna frowned, "Please Tidus, you don't understand tha-." She tried telling him, but he wouldn't listen. "What I don't understand is why you thought I was some cold heartless person. You actually thought I would leave you!?" He yelled. Yuna flinched. She knew he was hurt, and he had every right to be like this.

"I mean, I missed five years of that girl's life. What did you think, that it would be best if I lived my life not knowing I had a daughter?" He asked her. Yuna then finally decided to speak up, "Yes Tidus, I did! You were going to to play blitzball with the Zanarkand Abes, that was your dream, wasn't it?" She asked him.

Tidus looked at her and shook his head, "It wasn't my dream, spending the rest of my life with you was my dream, but you clearly didn't see that!" Tidus sighed, trying calm himself down, "You broke my heart, and didn't seem to care." Yuna let tears start to fall down her face.

"That's not true." She whispered.

"Oh really? Then why? Why did you let me leave you when you were pregnant?" He asked, tears were threatning to come out of his eyes, but he held them back. He couldn't cry in-front of her.

Yuna slowly looked up into his eyes, they show so many emotions, but the one that showed the most was hurt. He was hurt, she knew that. She felt horrible. That one mistake she made by not telling him changed everything.

"I was afraid you would leave me Tidus." She told him. Tidus just stood there, thinking of what to say. He continued to try to calm down, but he couldn't. He kept shaking his head. Why couldn't this have just been some kind of dream.

Tidus closed his eyes and rested his hand on his forehead, "That's no excuse Yuna. Everyone gets scared Yuna, you just have to learn how to deal with your problems." He told her, "I don't know how we're going to get through this, I don't. I feel like you've betrayed me. You didn't even bother calling me, I told you that I was going to keep my old cell phone number so you could call me, but you never did." He said.

More tears seemed to flow down Yuna's face. Even she wouldn't be able to forgive herself for something like this. "Tidus, I am-" Before she could continue, she saw Tidus hold up a hand.

"Please don't" He said, "Listen, I am having a hard time trying to digest everything you have told me in the past fifteen minutes. You told me I'm a father after five years. You basicly thought I was a jerk who didn't care about you in high school. I don't know what to say. Give me time to try to figure everything out." He told her before turning to leave.

Before Tidus left, he turned his head to her, "It's not like I'm saying that I hate you, because I don't. I just...don't know how long it will be before I can forgive you. I'll see you soon Yuna." And with that he left, leaving Yuna there sobbing loudly.

"Mommy, are you okay?" Yuna looked up to see Kate standing there, looking worried. Yuna wiped her tears and nodded, "I'm fine Kate. Come here." She said. Kate smiled brightly and ran over to sit next to Yuna.

"Why are you crying mommy?" Kate asked, noticing her mother's face. Yuna smiled at her, "Mommy just had a bad day." She told her.

Kate opened her arms, "Want a hug?" She asked. Yuna looked at her and chuckled, "That would be nice." She said as she hugged Kate tightly.

After a minute Yuna heard Kate say, "Mommy I can't breathe."

Yuna laughed and let go of her, "Sorry Kate." She stood up and held out her hand for Kate, "Want to go out for ice-cream?" She asked. Kate's eyes immdiately lit up as she took Yuna's hand. _ice-cream, the perfect depression food. _

* * *

Tidus was sitting on the beach, looking at the beautiful sunset. He was also trying to clear his head from everything that happened that day. It was a crazy day for him. Why was this happening now? Why couldn't he have known when Yuna was pregnant? Why would she even think that of him? To every question there would be an answer, and answer Tidus hoped to know.

Tidus heard something behind him, and when he turned around he saw two people with cameras. He rolled his eyes, "How did they find out I was here." He mumbled. He slowly got up, and walked over to his car. He started the car and started to drive, he didn't even know where. He shook his head and took out his phone, dialing Kai's number.

"Tidus, what's up?" He heard Kai answer.

Tidus gave out a little laugh, "What's up? The paparazzi is what's up!" Tidus said.

"What!? You saw them?" Kai asked, sounding suprised.

"Yeah I saw them. How long have they been here!?" Tidus asked, irritated. He heard Kai moving around, "Um...Someone apparentely tipped them off." Tidus heard him say.

Tidus laughed, "Thanks for that captain obvious. I want to know who though."

"Alright, alright, I'll find out who did it. When I'm doing that though, you're going to have to go back to Zanarkand, you have blitzball practice tomorrow." Kai siad. Tidus groaned, "I totally forgot about that." He said.

Tidus heard Kai laugh, "Hey, I tried calling you Tidus, but you wouldn't pick up. By the way, where were you today?" He asked. Tidus thought about if he should tell Kai about what had happened that day, but he decided against it. "Um...I was at a friend's house. We just were talking about old times, you know." He lied.

Kai seemed silent for a moment, "Oh. Well I guess I'll get started on how the papperazi found out you were there. I'll call you tomorrow to tell you what I found out. Bye."

Tidus sighed loudly and flipped his phone shut. He contemplated if he should say goodbye to everyone before he left, but he decided against it. Tidus knew he was going to come back to Besaid soon, he was sure of it. He had to come back because of Kate, not because of Yuna. To be honest, he did love Yuna, but after what she told him, he found it harder to trust her.

* * *

A/N - Better or not?


	4. Chapter 4

A/N - Okay so I said I was going to update next week, but I didn't know that I could actually get a connection on my laptop in a hotel. So, I spent the time I had at night to correct alot of mistakes I made. I am horrible at finding mistakes. Anyway, I thought I would updated now so I could get this chapter out of the way, and start the next one, but I won't start that until I get back. So, I hope you enjoy this chapter.

* * *

Tidus was upset to put it simply. He had went through alot of emotions in one day. He had also found out so much in one day. Five years didn't change alot for Tidus, but twenty-four hours certainly did. He couldn't seem to get over the fact that he was a father. Yes, he was happy he had a daughter with Yuna, he couldn't imigine having a child with anyone else, but still. So many things were running through his head. It all seemed so surreal. He wondered what Yuna told Kate about her father. For all Tidus knew, he was either dead, or had left them. He knew he was going to have to make up for those five years of absense. It wasn't even his fault he wasn't there. He didn't want to blame Yuna, but she should've just told him, it didn't matter if she was afraid or not, Tidus had to know. She didn't tell him, and know they are stuck in this situation. Why did she have to make things difficult?

Tidus was currently sitting on his bed, looking through pictures from high school. He held the picture from the time he and his friends were going took a road trip to Zakarkand. He remembered how Gippal kept insisting that they should stop and take and picture for the memory. Everyone became annoyed by his pleading and finally decided to take one picture. So they found a huge sign and it said something about Zakarkand being sixty miles away. So, they all posed in-front of it. He chuckled, remembering when they were arguing over what to do in-front of it. They somehow managed to agree on doing jazz hands(weird, right?). Everyone looked like they were holding back from laughing. It looked very odd, but it was still a funny memory.

The next picture was taken when they all had gotten so bored that they had actually went out and bought paintball guns, and gear. They thought it would be fun to have a paintball fight. So, they decided to go in the woods behind Tidus's house. They played in pairs. Tidus and Yuna, Baralai and Paine, and Gippal with his girlfriend back then named Adrian. Once they were all geared up, They split up. The whole game lasted only ten minutes, because Tidus had an 'accident'. He remembered hiding behind a tree. He didn't seem notice a figure coming up behind him. It was Paine, and she had a clear shot on him, but she got startled when she heard a loud voice, which was Gippal's, yelling that he shot Baralai. Paine shot the paintball gun without even seeing where she was aiming at. Let's just say it hit Tidus somewhere below the waist. The picture was of everyone smiling, holding their paintball guns up, while Tidus was frowning, holding his ice pack...down. Tidus laughed, remembering how he walked...rather limped into school the next day.

He looked at the next photo. It was graduation. It was him and Yuna. He had his arm wrapped around her shoulder, and they were both smiling. Tidus smiled slightly at the picture, but quickly frowned when he saw their eyes. There was really no emotion showing there. That was actually their last time together, because Tidus had to leave the very next day. He remembered Yuna telling him at graduation that she wasn't going to be there when he left. After she said that, he had said many things to her that he has regretted ever since.

A yawn escaped Tidus's mouth. He looked at the clock, which read 12:55. He sighed and put all the pictures away. He flopped down on his bed, closing his eyes.

His eyes snapped open when he heard a ring. He looked around, looking for his phone. _Who could possibly be calling at this time. _He wondered. He finally saw the phone on the floor, and quickly picked it up and answered.

"Yeah?" He asked.

"Hey Tidus, It's Kai. Listen I am on my way to your house, I have something you might want to see." He said.

Tidus rubbed his eyes, "Kai, It's almost one o'clock in the morning. What could you possibly want me to see?" He asked. Really, Kai had to be one of the most annoying managers he had ever had.

"I'm already here. You'll see what it is." Kai said. Before Tidus got a chance to say anything he hung up. He groaned and began making his way to the door. When he got to the door, he opened it to find nobody there.

"Are you kidding me?" He mumbled. He looked around for Kai, and still saw nothing. He was about to close the door when he heard Kai's loud obnoxious voice.

"Suprise!" Tidus jumped back, fully awake now. Kai started laughing, while Tidus glared at him. "What the hell was that!?" He yelled, but not too loud, the last thing he needed was angry neighbors.

Kai shrugged, "I don't know, I thought it would be fun." Tidus looked at him like he was crazy, "Fun? You call almost giving me a heart attack fun?" Kai rolled his eyes, "Don't over-exaggerate Tidus." He said.

Tidus just crossed his arms, "Can you please just tell me why you're here at one in the morning?" He asked.

Kai stopped laughing and nodded, "Oh, yeah. It's about this." He said, while holding up a magazine. Tidus looked confused. "I don't get it." He said. Kai rolled his eyes, "Tidus, look at page 2." He told him. Tidus took the magazine and opened it. His eyes widened when he saw what was there. It was a picture of him rushing out of Yuna's house. He looked at the article. It talked about how he and Yuna were together in high school, and how they were getting back together. It said that he...cheated on her? And that he just ran off with another girl.

Tidus's eyes were glued to the page. How did they even know they were together in high school?

Tidus's jaw clenched as he looked up at Kai, "This is outrageous, most of this is not even true. Who told them!?" He asked angerly. This was ridiculous. Did they even check their sources. Why did they always have to interfer with his personal life?

Kai shrugged, "I don't know. I heard it was a woman who went to high school with you that told them, she is probably the one who tipped the paparazzi off." He told him. Tidus ran a hand over his face. "Atleast they don't know about Kate." He mumbled. Kai looked at him, confused.

"Who's Kate?" He asked. Tidus turned his head towards him. _Did I say that aloud? _Tidus sighed . He had to tell him sooner or later. "She's my daughter." He admitted. Kai's eyes looked like they were about to pop out after he said that. Tidus watched as he tried to say something, but couldn't.

Tidus chuckled, "Suprised?" He asked. Kai still couldn't say anything. His eyes slowly drifted to the picture on the magazine. "Who's the mother?" Kai managed to get out.

Tidus was hesistant to answer the question at first, "A girl I dated in high school," Tidus held up the article in-front of Kai's face, "I got mad and left when she told me I had a daughter. So...now you know." He said.

"You are certain that you're the father?" Kai asked. Tidus nodded again, "I'm pretty sure. I was shocked when I found out too. I thought she cheated on me, but I kind of did the math in my head. And she does also have my blue eyes." Kai slowly nodded. There was only thing on his mind, and that was the press. How were they going to tell them that Tidus had a daughter?

"If you're thinking about the press. We'll get the rep to tell them, don't worry. We aren't going to say anything now though. When a picture of me with her start showing up in magazines, that's when we will say something." Tidus told him. He had already thought about them. He really didn't care when they found out, he just didn't want Kate to be bothered by it.

"Okay well that's good. So...want to get a beer?" Kai asked. Tidus looked at him and laughed, then he pushed him out of the house. "Oh comeon, one beer Tidus. I promise!" He yelled.

Tidus just shook his head, laughing even more, "I don't think so. I'm not a drinker, I told you that. Now goodnight." He told him, before closing the door.

"Ahh, you're no fun Ti." Tidus shook his head and walked back up to his room to get some sleep.

* * *

Yuna was laying on her couch, watching tv, trying to forget that days events. She had just gotten Kate to go to bed, and Yuna really just couldn't seem to sleep. She was too nervous about what was going to occur the next day. The only thing that couldn't leave her mind was a certain person. Tidus. Tidus, the father of her daughter. She was mad at herself for having to take five years to tell him he had a daughter. But... was she even going to tell him if he hadn't come to her house? She didn't even know. Wow, was she a horrible person. She knew she would probably never tell Tidus about their daughter. Yeah, she was had now she convinced herelf that she was the cold hearted person. Honestly, how could Tidus not hate her? She just shook her head, she didn't want to think about that now. Her mind seemed to drift on what happened almost five hours ago.

EARLIER THAT DAY

_"Okay... so exactly what was your relationship with Tidus in highschool?" A very impatient looking Rikku asked, while storming into Yuna's house. _

_Yuna let out a small laugh, "What? No hello?" Rikku put her hands on her hips and sent Yuna a glare, "Comeon Yunie, why didn't you tell me you dated him?" Rikku whined. _

_Yuna rolled her eyes, "Wait, who said we dated in highschool?" She asked. _

_Rikku looked away and smiled, "I have my sources." She said simply. Yuna raised a brow at her, "Oh? And what 'sources' might they be?" She asked. Rikku turned her head to her and shrugged._

_"Baralai did. They said they went to highschool together, and you also went to the same highschool as Baralai, so I used my brain." She said pointing to her head. Yuna sturggled not to laugh, but she failed. Rikku huffed and crossed her arms. "That's not funny! I'm a teacher!" She told her. _

_Yuna finally managed to stop laughing. "I'm sorry Rikku. I shouldn't have laughed." She told her, traces of laughter still evident in her voice. _

_Rikku then scoffed. "Think what you want meanie. Now, let's get back on the topic of Tidus." Yuna sighed and sat down, "Okay, but as long as you promise me to not tell anyone." She told Rikku. Rikku smiled and nodded her head quickly. _

_"Okay. Tidus and I... we did date in highschool," Rikku squealed, but Yuna shushed her, and Rikku quickly quieted down. "We started dating in our Sophmore year. We were good together, atleast that's what everyone told us. We fell in-love, and we couldn't be happier with eachother. But at the end of our Senoir year, he told me he got a athletics scholarship, and it was given to him by Zanarkand University. He also had one to Besaid University, and he chose Besaid, although Zanarkand was his dream. I found out something a week before graduation though... I was pregnant... I was pregnant with Tidus's child." I heard a gasp from Rikku, but still continued, "I was scared Rikku. I was afraid that he wouldn't want a baby yet, so I told him to go to Zanarkand. I told him to go, because I was a coward. It tore me apart to just let him go like that, but at the time I thought it would be for the best. And that's why you saw him here today. I wasn't expecting him, but he found out where I lived and wanted to see me. He wanted to get back together, but Kate came rushing in the house and when he saw her...the look in his eyes. He looked so hurt when Kate called me her mother. I told him... I told him and he was furious. He told me he wasn't mad at me, but I highly doubt that. He just left after that. I probably broke his heart even more by telling him that Rikku." Yuna just broke down in tears after telling Rikku what had happened with her and Tidus. _

_Rikku quickly rushed over to Yuna and hugged her, "It's okay Yunie, he'll understand sooner or later." She said, soothing her. Yuna just stood there, clinging to Rikku, hoping Tidus would understand_.

PRESENT

Yuna felt tears starting to form in her eyes, but held them back. She cried too much today, she wasn't up to anymore tears. She sighed sadly and got up from the couch, making her way to her room.

* * *

Tidus groaned when he heard his alarm clock go off. He slowly opened his eyes, but quickly closed them, noticing the bright sun rays shining through the window. He reached over, with his eyes still closed, and tried to turn off the alarm, but he accidently missed it and fell of the bed.

"Ouch." He mumbled, rubbing his shoulder. He sighed and reached up to shut off the alarm. He slowly got up, pulling a shirt over his head, and made his way down the stairs. Right when he stepped his foot down on the floor, he heard his phone go off. _honestly, how many times a day does that thing ring? _He ran a hand over his face and went to pick it up.

"Hello?" He answered grouchily.

"Hey Tidus, I didn't know that you would be up this early." Tidus suddenly became more awake at whos vocie it was. It was Baralai's. Tidus thought of how he got his number, but quickly remembered giving it to him at the school.

Tidus chuckled. "Hey Baralai. Yeah I have to get up this early so I can be ready for practice, you know." He told him, while letting out a small yawn.

"Yeah I can understand that... kind of. Anyway, the reason I was calling was because we were wondering if you wanted to go out with us tonight. We could go to the beach, like we did in high school." Baralai told him.

"Everyone?" Tidus questioned. "Yeah. Everyone as in Me, Paine, Gippal, and...um...Yuna will be there too, if that's okay." Tidus froze for a moment. He thought about it. Yuna was going to be there too. He actually thought it would be a good chance to talk to her without the arguing... hopefully.

Tidus thought more about that for a second, before answering. "Yeah, no problem."

Baralai didn't speak for the next couple seconds. "So...I'm assuming Yuna told you about...um." Tidus heard Baralai trying to pick the right words.

Tidus chuckled. "About Kate?" He asked.

"...Yeah. So you know now, that's good. How did you react when she told you?" Baralai asked.

Tidus sighed, remembering when Yuna had told him about Kate. "Not so well. I got angry at her, and ended up just leaving. I was just confused as of why she didn't tell me. So, when you told me she was going to the beach too, I thought that it'd be the perfect chance to talk to her about it." He said.

"Oh, well I hope you guys work things out, Kate needs a father." Baralai said. Tidus frowned. That's right, Kate hadn't had a father. Tidus then started to wonder if Yuna had dated any guys that had been a father figure for Kate, but he quickly got rid of those thoughts. He really didn't want to think about Yuna with another guy.

"Yeah, she does need one...she needs me," Tidus said softly. Tidus quickly became aware that he had practice, he looked at his phone and saw that he had 20 minutes to get there, "Dammit," He put the phone back to his ear, "Listen Baralai, I have to leave in like 20 minutes, so I'll call you when I get back. I'll see you later." He said hurriedly. "Bye." He heard Baralai say, before he shut his phone. He then rushed up to his room to get ready. _This is going to be a crazy day. _


	5. Chapter 5

A/N - Sorry on the late update, I've been kind of busy lately what with school being a week away and all. Also, I can't seem to stop watching the Olympics lol. Well anyways, this chapter is short(Sorry) and I think this isn't the best chapter I've written, but atleast it's something. I've been having alot of trouble thinking about what to do in the beginning and how to end it, but I've somehow managed to finish this chapter. Note that I have not proof read it, but I will edit it when I get the chance, so if sentences don't make sense sorry. Well I really hope that this chapter was worth the wait. Also, I would like to thank the people who reviewed, that's what keeps me writing!

* * *

"Ow, be careful!" Tidus yelled at the medic, who was examining his hand. He and the rest of his team were in the locker room. They were doing quick drills for the game they had in two days. Tidus was trying to catch the blitzball that was being thrown to him, but he accidently jammed his finger while attempting to get it. The whole team kept on asking if he would be able to play for the game, but the medic kept on shaking his head at them.

The medic sighed and turned his head towards them, "I'm sorry, but Tidus can't play with this finger." he told them. Tidus closed his eyes and groaned. It was a big game for them. They were going to go up against the Luca Goers. Both teams were rivals. Last year, the Zanarkand Abes had lost against them, due to a last second shot by the Goers. That game was played in Luca, but this game was to be played in Zanarkand. They were going to have the home advantage. Tidus was so excited to play. He wanted his team to win, with or without him.

"How long?" Tidus asked him.

The medic looked up at Tidus, and then looked back at his finger. "I would say about one month." He told him. Tidus heard the team start to argue about the decision.

"But that's four games!" One of them shouted. The medic finished wrapping Tidus's finger and stood up and looked at them. "I'm sorry, but that isn't my fault," He said to them and then he looked at Tidus, "You are going to have to splint your finger, and just put some ice on it." He said to Tidus before leaving.

"What an ass." Tidus said. The team laughed, before turning serious.

Tidus sighed looking at his injured finger. "So...I can't believe I'm going to miss the biggest game of the season, but comeon, you guys are great players too. You can play just as good as me," At that, many of his teammates scoffed, "I mean it. I'm not the only one who does something on this team. Yes, I'm angry that I won't be able to play the game, but I still want us to win! Don't let this injury get in the way of winning. Just go out there on Tuesday and play!" He exclaimed. The locker room was silent for about five minutes, until one of them spoke up.

"He's right," Tidus smiled at him, "We don't need Tidus to win. Besides, Tidus isn't _that _good anyway." Tidus's smile turned into a frown. The whole team all laughed together, while agreeing with him.

"Gee, thanks." Tidus mumbled, as the teams laughter grew louder. The coach of the team then came up to Tidus. "Tidus, can you come in my office for a moment."

Tidus looked at him and nodded, before following behind him to the office. "Sit down Tidus." He told him. Tidus sat down and leaned back in the chair. "So, what is it you wanted to talk about?" He asked him.

"Okay, first thing I wanted to say is that you don't have to come to the game on Tuesday." He said to him.

Tidus chuckled slightly. "I know I don't have to come, but I will anyway, to support everyone."

The coach smiled and raised a brow. "Are you sure you want to come? Don't you want to go and see your girlfriend?" He asked him.

Tidus's eyes widened. "What? What girlfriend?" The coach laughed. "Well I don't read tabloids, but my teenage daughter does. And she gave me a magazine that said you were dating your highschool sweetheart. True?" He asked. Tidus kept silent for a moment, thinking of wheather he should tell him about what has been happening to him in the past two weeks or not.

He scratched the back of his head, trying to think of what to say. "Oh, about that. I was in Besaid seeing someone. Um...I did date the girl I was seeing in highschool, but we're not getting back together. We are friends now though." He told him, deciding to leave the part of his daughter out of it.

His coach nodded. "Oh, well don't think I'm trying be nosy, that's the last thing I want you to think. I don't really care much about your personal lives. Anyway, I also wanted to tell you that you aren't going to have to show up to games or practice untill that heals." He said, pointing to Tidus's finger.

Tidus nodded at him. "Yeah I realize that I don't have to show up to them, but I wan't to Coach." He said. Tidus hadn't missed one game. He had only missed one practice, but that is because his mom was in the hospital.

The coach shook his head and held up his hand. "I don't want to hear it Tidus. I know you don't miss any games, but why show up when you can't play? I know, like you said, that you want to support the team, but we already know how much support you give us. And I'm not just saying that you don't have to go, I am _telling _you that you don't have to be there. Understood?" He asked Tidus.

Tidus chuckled and nodded slightly. "It will be hard not to show up, but what can I do?" The coach laughed along with him. "Exactly Tidus, there is nothing you _can _do."

They both stood up after a minute and shook hands. "Thank you for this. I guess I'll just take a little vacation." Tidus said to him.

"Sounds good Tidus. I'll see you when your finger heals." And with that, Tidus left the coach's office.

Once Tidus had told his team that he wasn't going to be there for practice and the games, they were suprisingly understanding of it. There was only about one argument, and that was about who was going to take Tidus's place when he was gone.

He was walking back to his car, and luckily there was no papperazi. They actually were practicing at a local highschool, and they seemed to fool them about where they were, so the papperazi really had no clue where they were.

Tidus stopped when he heard his name being called. He reconized the voice immidiately. He turned around and saw his manager running towards him, waving his arms. When he reached Tidus, he put his hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath.

"I came as soon as I heard about your injury." He said quickly. Tidus rolled his eyes and put his finger out in-front of him, showing Kai. "Yepp, I'm going to be out for a month. So now, if you don't mind, I have to get going. I'm going on a vacation. I'll be back in a month, Kai."

Kai looked at Tidus's finger, then at him with a shocked expression on his face. "A month?!"

"Yeah, a month Kai. I can't play with this finger, okay? Besides, this is going to give me time to spend with Kate."

Kai looked at him for a moment, before slowly nodding his head. "Alright, alright. I guess it isn't that bad. Have fun on your...vacation. Remember to call me when you get there, okay?" He asked. Tidus smiled at him. "Can do." He said, before getting in his car and leaving for his house to pack.

* * *

"You what!?" Yuna yelled into the phone. She had just called Baralai, asking what time they were going to the beach with everyone else. Once he had told her, he said that he invited someone else. And when she asked who it was, he said that it would be a suprise. But Yuna, being Yuna, threatend him by telling him that she would literally ri-...well lets not get into that. And then Baralai, being the coward he is, told her who else was going, which didn't make her to happy.

"Well...I think he should be able to spend some time with you so you guys can talk about things. Also, he should be able to spend some time with Kate, shouldn't he?"

Yuna sighed and nodded, though he couldn't see her. "He should. And I really have to get to telling Kate about him."

"You still haven't told her?" He asked, suprised.

"No, I haven't. I just don't know how to tell her though!"

"Yuna, just tell her. To be honest, I think she would be excited knowing that her dad didn't leave her."

Yuna tilted her head, thinking about what Kate's reaction would be like. "You know...I think she would be happy to hear that. I don't know when to tell though."

"Tell her this afternoone at the beach, Tidus will be there."

"Yeah...I think I will. Well, I guess I'll see you later. Thank you."

"Goodbye Yuna." Yuna hung up and put the phone down. She looked towards Kate's room, and then made her way there to see if she was awake yet. She turned the knob and quietly opened the door, careful to not wake her up if she was still sleeping. She poked her head into the room and looked over to Kate's bed. She smiled when she saw a small figure under the covers. She slowly moved to her bed and sat on the edge. She giggled alittle when she heard Kate snoring softly. _Just like her father_ she thought. She brushed some of Kate's lightish brown hair out of her face, and looked and her peaceful expression.Kate began to move alittle, and opened her eyes tiredly. She immidiately smiled when she saw Yuna sitting next to her.

Kate sat up and yawned, before looking back at her mom. "Good morning, mommy." She said, giving Yuna a hug.

Yuna laughed and hugged Kate back. "Good morning sweetie. Did you sleep well?" Kate nodded excitedly. "Yepp!" Yuna slowly nodded and sighed. Why not tell her now? Hopefully, Kate would understand.

"Kate, I have to talk about something." She told her. Kate looked at Yuna and nodded, as she made her way over to sit next to her. "About what?"

Yuna took a deep breath, and started to tell her. "Well actually...it's about your dad, Kate. Remember how I told you that you didn't have a dad, because he left?" Kate nodded, suddenly becoming more interested, "And do you remember that man you met when Rikku dropped you off here that one day?" Kate once again nodded, still not understanding what Yuna was trying to tell her, "Kate...that man...that was him. That was your dad." Yuna looked at Kate, who had a blank expression on her face. Yuna became very nervous. She just continued stare at Kate, looking for any type of reaction.

"He is my daddy?" Kate asked in a small voice.

"Yes, that was him." Yuna told her, not knowing if her reaction was good or bad.

Kate looked at Yuna, confused. "Where is he now?" She asked her.

"He is coming here today. He lives in Zankarkand. He plays for the blitzball team called the Zanarkand Abes. You know them right?" Kate was a huge blitzball fan actually, she just never really knew the player's names.

Kate's eyes widened at the mention of one of her favorite teams. "The Zanarkand Abes? My daddy plays for the Zanarkand Abes!?" She asked Yuna, becoming excited.

Yuna laughed at her daughter's excitement. "Yeah, he does. Do you want to see him today?"

"Yeah mommy, I wanna see him!"

"Well, he is on his way here right now, just to see you. You'll see him when we go to the beach today. Won't that be fun?" Kate nodded, and she just seemed to just get more enthusiastic from that point on.

_Today will be fun...right?_


	6. Chapter 6

A/N- Okay, sorry it took so long to update. I have been...busy. That's not really a lie though. I am busy with school and...stuff. Okay maybe I'm just lazy. BUT, I did however get to finish this chapter somehow. I really rushed this, so it may look like the story is going way too fast, and that's how it is. I intend on finishing this story. I just don't know when though. Before you start reading, I just want to thank everyone who reviewed. So, THANK YOU. Okay, now you can read.

* * *

"Yuna!" Yuna turned around, looking for who shouted her name. She smiled when she saw Baralai and Paine walking towards her, waving their arms. She quickly waved back, and turned back to her car to help Kate out. "Hey guys." Yuna said to them once they were in-front of her.

Paine smiled at Yuna, and gave her a quick hug. "Hi Yuna. How have you been?" She asked her.

Yuna gave out a small laugh. "I've been...heh I think you know." She told Paine. Paine gave her a sympathetic look, before looking down at Kate. "And how have you been, Kate?" She asked the small girl.

"Great! Did you know that I'm going to see my daddy today!?" She asked Paine excitedly. Paine chuckled at her enthusiam, and looked up at Yuna, who was currently frowning and looking rather nervous. She knew that Yuna was very worried about how Kate would act around Tidus, and of how Tidus would act around Kate too. Yuna knew that today was a huge day for her daughter, she was finally going to get to meet her father. Emotions were definitely going to run high today, well atleast Yuna's were.

"Yes, I heard about that. I bet he can't wait to see you." Paine said to Kate. Kate's smile seemed to grow bigger at the mention of him again. "And I can't wait to see him!" Kate exclaimed.

Baralai then stepped forward to also give Yuna a hug. "Hello again Yuna." Yuna quickly returned the hug. "Hey Baralai, how are you?" She asked as he shrugged his shoulders.

Yuna sighed and looked around. "So, wheres Gippal and Kendra?" She asked them.

"They're on their here now. They just live alittle further away, so it takes some more time to get here." Baralai told her. She nodded her head and looked at Kate, extending her hand towards her, which Kate took. Yuna then looked at Baralai and Paine and smiled. "Let's go then, shall we." She told them.

They started walking on the beach, just trying to wast some time before everyone else got there. They were walking for about five minutes, when Kate looked up and she grinned at who she saw.

"Uncle Gippal!" She yelled as she ran towards him. Gippal smiled when he saw her, and opened his arms for her. Kate crashed into Gippal, causing him to fall backwards. He laughed as Kate clung to him tightly. Yuna chuckled at the sight of the two of them. Gippal and Baralai always did act as father figures for Kate.

"Hey how's my little niece doing today?" Gippal asked Kate as he ruffled her hair. She giggled and stood up. "I'm doing great Uncle Gippal!" She told him. Gippal looked up at the rest of the group and smiled at them.

"What's up guys?" He asked them as he brushed the sand off his shorts. They laughed slightly, before they all gave eachother a group hug.

"So Gippal, where's Kendra?" Yuna asked, looking behind him for any sign of her.

Gippal immediately frowned and sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah, about that. Well, me and her...we broke up yesterday. She...she cheated on me with some guy she met a month ago." He explained to them. Yuna, Paine, and Baralai were all very much shocked to hear this. Gippal and Kendra seemed perfect together. They were together ever since their first year of college. Gippal had even said that he was going to propose to her within the next couple months.

Baralai was the first to come up to him. He put his hand on his should. "I'm sorry, Gippal. I know that you really loved her." He told him. Gippal shook his head and looked up at all their sympathetic faces. He sighed and chuckled. "Oh comeon guys, don't give me those faces. Yeah, I loved her, but I know that I got to move on, and I will. Starting with finding a girl that I am willing to date." He said to them.

Suddenly, an idea popped into Yuna's head after he said that. "Hey, Gippal how about I play matchmaker for you. I know the perfect girl for you." She told him.

Gippal looked at her curiously. "Oh really? And who would this lovely lady be?" He asked her. Yuna had actually been the one to set him up with Kendra, and that went well...until now. But he knew that she knew the kind of girls that he like to date.

"Okay well she's my cousin. Her name's Rikku, and she's a third grade teacher. You'll love her Gippal! She is just like you." Yuna was hoping that he would agree to this. He had to. When she thought about it, it seemed they would be a perfect match.

Gippal sighed and shook his head. "You better be right, Yuna."

"Trust me, you two are so much alike." She said.

"I do trust you, Yuna. I doubt she is just like me though. Nobody is just like me." Yuna rolled her eyes at him. "Yeah, I know. you tell us that all the time."

"Mommy," Yuna looked down and saw Kate tugging at her hand. "I'm bored."

Yuna smiled at her and knelt down infront of her. "You are? Well then what do you want to do?" She asked her. Kate then looked as if she was thinking really hard. Her eyes then lit up. "I know! We can play sand ball!" She exclaimed, throwing her arms in the air.

"We haven't played that since we were eight," Yuna heard Paine say.

Baralai shrugged. "I'm not a fan of it, because I get sand in my hair and in my clothes, but if Kate wants to play then I'm up for it."

"So can we play, mommy?" Kate asked Yuna. Yuna smiled at her. "Sure, why not?"

Just then, a ball of sand collided with Gippal's head. "Hey! What gives?!" He yelled as he turned around. His eyes widened, and his mouth hung open. everyone turned their heads to see who had just hit Gippal in the head. Everyone had the same reaction Gippal did.

There, standing and laughing like a maniac, was Tidus. He stopped laughing when looked to them and saw all their faces, well mostly Gippal's. He put his hand up and waved at them. "Hey guys!" And then started to approach them. Well he was, that is until he saw Gippal running towards him, laughing.

Before he knew it, Gippal had tackled him to the ground. Gippal was currently shoving Tidus's face into the sand.

"Don't ever do that again." Gippal told him as he let go of Tidus's head and stood up. Tidus wiped the sand off his face and chuckled. "Sorry Gippal. I forgot about you're temper." He said as the two shared a manly hug.

Yuna was watching Tidus and Gippal catch up with eachother. She saw the hapiness glowing in Tidu's blue eyes. She hoped this time wouldn't be like last time. This was the point where her nerves really got to her. Her eyes shifted to her daughter, who was watching the two of them curiously. She couldn't really see Tidus, if she had, she probably would have ran to him already.

"Mommy, who's that?" She heard Kate ask her in a small voice. Yuna sighed and looked at Kate, this was it. She put her hands on Kate's shoulders and looked at her, before giving her a small smile. "That's...that would be you're dad, Kate." She watched as Kate's eyes widened, and how a smile slowly formed on her face.

"Do want want to meet him?" Yuna asked her. She knew Kate had already met Tidus, but this time would be different. Introducing the two of them as father and daughter.

She held Kate's small hand as the two of them slwoly made their way to them. Yuna looked ahead and saw that Baralai and Paine and joined them already. She felt her stomach churn as her eyes connected with Tidus's. He looked from Yuna to Kate, and his eyes imidiately softened.

When they finally reached the group, Kate slowly slipped her hand out of Yuna's. Silence filled the air as Kate looked at Tidus and blue clashed with blue eyes. She slowly made her way to Tidus, as Tidus kneeled down infront of her.

All of a sudden Kate flung her arms around Tidus's neck. Tidus was alittle caught off guard by this, but quickly recovered and returned the hug.

"Daddy?" Kate questioned and she pulled back from the hug. Tidus smiled warmly at her and slowly nodded. "Yeah, Kate. I'm you're dad." He told her as she gave him a toothy smile and gave him another hug.

Yuna watched the two of them with contentment. She was very glad of how Tidus acted with Kate, and how Kate did with him. This is exactly what she was hoping to happen.

* * *

The group was currently sitting on the beach, watching the sun setting. Yuna watched as Tidus held a sleeping Kate in his arms. After the little reunion, Tidus and Kate took time to get to know more about eachother. They talked to eachother about what their favorite color was, or their favorite food, ect. Yuna could tell that they had already developed this somewhat strong bond. She knew that she was going to have to talk to Tidus about Kate. About how they were going to work this out.

She sighed and slowly got up from her spot. "Tidus," She spoke quietly to him. He looked up at her, and gave her a questioning look. "Can I talk to you for a minute?" She asked him. He looked at her for a second, before slowly nodding his head.

Yuna turned her head to Paine. "Paine, do you mind holing Kate for alittle while?" She asked her. "Yeah, sure." Paine said. Tidus got up carefully and went over to Paine and gently put Kate in her arms. Tidus looked at Yuna and smiled and followed her away from the group.

They finally came to a stop at a short distnace of the ocean. Yuna sat down and motioned for Tidus to sit next to her. So they sat there for five minutes, as memories started to come back to them. They had done this so many times before as teenagers. They would just sit there like they were now, and just watch the tides crash onto the beach.

Tidus was the first one to break the silence. "So...what did you want to talk about?" He asked her, already knowing what this was about. She looked towards him and sighed. "Tidus, you know why I brought you here." She told him. His eyes followed her eyes back to the ocean and he nodded.

Once again silence envloped the air around them.

"How are we going to do this, Tidus?" Yuna finally asked him, looking at him.

"I honestly don't know, Yuna. But I know that I really want to be a part of Kate's life. I already missed five years of it, I don't want to miss anymore. I love her and I'm really happy that you had her," He admitted to her. "I'll do whatever it takes to be there for her. I'll come down to Besaid everyday if I have to."

Yuna looked at his pleading eyes, and felt a sudden feeling of more guilt wash through her. "I'm sorry I did that to you, Tidus. I'm sorry I put you through five years without knowing her." she told him, as a tear slipped out of her eye.

"Yuna...it's okay. I thought about it for awhile. I was actually up in my room for so many hours a day just looking at pictures from back then. I just...I don't know how I couldn't forgive you. I thought I would never be able to do it at first, but I could never be mad at you. We have way to much history together, you know," He told her. It was the truth too. He was angry when she had first told him about it, but who wouldn't be upset if they were just being told they had a five year-old daughter they never knew about. He was just happy he had a child with Yuna, and not some other woman. "I just hope we can be friends. I don't want to be fight with you about her."

Yuna felt more tears start to form in her eyes as he said that to her, but she quickly blinked them away. Being friends with Tidus. Why wouldn't she be happy about that? It was a start.

"Yeah, I would like that." She said. He then grinned at her and puts his arms around her in a tight hug. "Thank you, Yuna." He whispered in her ear. She couldn't have been more happy at the moment. Now that tidus was abck in Kate's life, it couldn't get any better. Now if she could only ignore that feeling she got everytime she saw him.

* * *

A/N- Sorry that it's short...again.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Wow, it's been a little under 3 years, and I'm going to be 17 soon, which means I was 14 when I wrote this...wow, that is purely pathetic because of how lazy I was/still am. I have written nada in 3 years, so excuse my rusty-ness. I really hope you guys enjoy, and I'm SO sorry for taking SO long! Much love.

* * *

Yuna looked up from her cooking as the ring of the doorbell echoed through her small 2-story house. She hurriedly wiped her hands clean, before rushing to the door. She knew it was Tidus. They had talked after coming to an agreement about Kate. They had set a time for the evening on Friday so Tidus could get to know Kate better. They knew it was going to be awkward between the two of them, but at the same time they had decided to be adults about the whole thing.

She opened the door to see Tidus, looking as handsome as always, holding a jack russell terrier in his right arm, and holding a bag in his left hand.

"Tidus, you're here a little early." She said, still not sure what to make of the dog he was holding.

"Yeah, I wanted to get in every minute I could have with Kate," He told her, "Oh, and this is Rocky, my jack russell. I hope you don't mind me bringing him over, I noticed Kate brought a few stuffed dog animals with her last I saw her." He added as soon as he saw her looking at the dog.

"As long as he doesn't rip up my furniture, or do any of the other bad things dogs tend to do, it'll be fine. Kate loves dogs." She said. She had always wanted to get Kate a dog, but never really had time to do that, so she wanted to wait until Kate got a little older so she could care for the dog, too.

"Oh, don't worry, he's house-trained. He got out of the bad chewing habits when he was a pup." He informed her, flashing his smile that made her blush, as always. She ducked her head slightly like she did when she was a teenager. Tidus had an amused smile on his face, knowing very well that it always got her.

"What's that?" She asked, ending the awkward silence, nodding towards the bag dangling in his hand.

"Oh, it's a present for Kate. Rikku told me she's obsessed with that Justin Bieber kid, so I got her him... in doll-size, of course." He said.

"She is obsessed with him. I actually always thought it was a girl to be honest, but I'm always scolded by my girl students that he's a _man_" She said, letting a laugh at how fun teaching a class of 8 year-old kids could be.

"Well I'm glad she'll like it, then. It was awkward when I bought the doll, because everyone basically knows who I am, and they think I don't have a kid, so you can imagine the looks I got" He said. He laughed when he recalled how the cahier raised her eyebrows at the sight and looked at him as if he were some kind of weirdo.

"Honestly, I would've done the same thing." She told him, as she laughed along with him.

Their laughing stopped as their heads turned to the top of the stairs, where they heard little footsteps now coming down them. Tidus smiled when he saw an overly-excited Kate rushing towards him with open arms.

"Daddy, I thought you were coming later!" She said, now clutching her father's neck tightly.

Tidus laughed loudly, "Well, I couldn't wait to see you anymore, and besides, I wanted you to meet someone." He said. Before Kate could ask who, she heard little whining noises below her. She looked down and saw Rocky trying to climb his way up Tidus's leg.

"You brought a doggy!" She exclaimed as Tidus set her on the ground. Rocky immediately licked her now giggling face.

"His name is Rocky. He's a jack russel terrier and I've had him for about 3 years now. I know how much you love dogs, so I thought I'd bring him here for a little visit." He told her.

"He's so cute! Thank you for bringing him, daddy!" She said as she got up and ran across into the living room with him.

"Now you've done it. You know she's going to be begging me for a dog when you leave, right?" Yuna said to him as she watched Kate and Rocky with an amused smile.

"She can come see him whenever she wants, though." He said

"I suppose. Well, I have to go finish dinner. You can go play with her while I finish up." She said as she made her way into the kitchen.

Tidus couldn't help admiring the back of Yuna as she walked out of his sight. He quickly shook those bad thoughts out of his head and focused his attention on bonding with his daughter that is why he came here.

As he made his way into the living room, he saw the Kate had already discovered his present and was full of excitement. She had already gotten the doll out of the box, and was now playing with it.

"You like it?" He asked, sitting down on the couch beside her.

She looked up at him and her little arms went around his arm, "I love it so much, thank you, thank you, thank you!" She expressed her happiness even more when she got the doll and put it up to his face, "Justin Bieber thanks you, too"

"Well, you're both very welcome." He said as he placed a kiss on Kate's cheek.

'I'm glad you're back." She mumbled into his shoulder.

"Me too, kiddo." He said back to her. Tidus never thought he'd know what it would feel like to be a dad, but now that he did, he was extremely grateful for this girl that Yuna and he had created. Though he didn't know her for 5 years, he was sure as hell determined to be there for her for as long as he could now. That's all that really matters.

"Kate, Tidus, dinner is ready!" They broke apart when they heard Yuna's voice shout from the kitchen.

"Race ya" Kate whispered to Tidus. He smirked, knowing that this was definitely his daughter as he looked into those mischievous blue eyes.

"You're on." He told her as he let her bolt out in-front of him. He laughed when she did a victory dance on arriving to the kitchen first, with her fists pumping into the air, much like he would do. Yuna also laughed when she saw Kate's funny celebration.

After dinner, the trio gathered on the couch. Tidus told them stories about his life in the past 5 years, while Yuna and Kate told him about theirs.

Kate eventually fell asleep in Tidus's arms. Once that happened, Yuna got up to show him Kate's bedroom.

"She looks so beautiful," Tidus said after he tucked Kate in, "Just like her mother." He added, while shifting his gaze to Yuna. Yuna blushed as Tidus made his way out of the room. Yuna closed the door quietly, and leaned on it while looking at Tidus.

"She's an amazing kid, you know. You've done such a great job with her." He told her, while gazing into those bi-colored eyes that he had come to love so much.

Yuna gave him a small smile, "Thank you." She said, before hesitantly making her way to the door at the end of the hall, "Follow me." She called back quietly over her shoulder.

Tidus did as she told and curiously went in her direction. When he got there, he saw she had opened a door, to what he assumed was her closet, and was rummaging through it.

"What are you doing?" He asked as he closed the door behind him so they didn't have to whisper.

"I have something you may want." She called out. She finally came out with a cardboard box in her hands. She set the box on the bed, and looked at him.

"Everything from our relationship; mostly pictures, but there are also gifts you gave me. I want you to have it." She told him, pushing the box towards him.

"Yuna," He said slowing, eyeing the box, "This is yours to keep, and just because we're not together anymore doesn't mean I don't want you to keep them." He said.

"You don't understand. I look at these pictures every day, and I'm reminded every day of how I screwed up. I'm reminded of what I could've had! "She shouted, but she made she it wasn't loud enough to wake up Kate. She had to get this over with.

"You didn't screw up, you did what you thought was best for me! I understand why you did it. I understand that you would've felt guilty if you told me because I would've dropped that scholarship in a heartbeat. Sure Yuna, I'm angry that I didn't know, but please don't make yourself miserable over the past, because that's what it is, the past!" He desperately told her, trying to get the point across. When he still saw the doubt in her eyes, he made his way over to her and gently placed his hands on her arms.

"Yuna, I care so much about you and our daughter. I love you two regardless of what happened. I need you to understand that. I need you to understand that I'll fight for you two no matter what we think was right or wrong. I'm here now, am I not?" He whispered to her, as his lips drew near to hers.

"Yes," Yuna whispered back, while taking his face in her hands, "Yes, you are." She quickly closed the gap between their lips.

Tidus, a bit taken back by Yuna's forwardness, responded to the kiss eagerly. Yuna moaned when his kisses trailed down her neck and his hands slipped underneath her shirt.

She pulled his head back so his lips could reconnect with hers "Bed." she mumbled against them.


	8. Chapter 8

Another chapter...what! I'm having too much time on my hands lately and a sudden boost in inspiration. I'm not sure what to make of this chapter, except it was written in a couple hours(a lot of that was just me staring at the screen, juggling different ideas). I'm drawing a complete blank as of what chapter 9 will consist of, so expect some delay on that. I do appreciate that some people are still following the story and enjoy it. Though it didn't take me long to write this chapter, which means there's probably errors, I felt like I had to update to atleast try to make up for just under 3 years of absense. So please, enjoy the mushiness.

* * *

Yuna yawned as she slowly opened her eyes, only to turn into a squint as she took in the light that streamed through the blinds. She stretched her arms above her head, only to have her hand collide with something. She looked over to her side, startled, and the shock set in when she realized that what she had thought was a dream was a very much reality. She sat up and looked down at the blonde man, looking at the peaceful look upon his sleeping face. She tried to rack her brain on what to do with the situation in front of her. Should she wake him up, or wait and see what would happen?

She quickly abandoned thinking of a plan as a soft knock was heard.

"Mommy, are you up?" The voice of Kate came from the other side of the door.

"One second, sweetie." Yuna quietly called out, trying not to wake Tidus. After hurriedly throwing on her clothes, she slowly approached the door, unlocked it, and slipped out quickly before closing it behind her.

Yuna smiled when she saw the yawning girl in front of her "Good morning sweetie." She greeted her by giving her a kiss on the head.

Kate gave her mother a tired smile, before she put her hands on her stomach, "My stomach wants food, mommy." She cutely told her.

Yuna giggled Kate's choice of words, "Do you want pancakes?" She asked her. Kate's tiredness quickly wore off at the mention of pancakes.

"Yes! I want chocolate pancakes!" She exclaimed, rushing down the stairs, pulling on her mother's hand.

Yuna chucked, "Alright, alright, chocolate pancakes it is." And with that she took one glance at her closed door before letting her daughter lead her down the stairs and into the kitchen.

While Yuna and Kate were making pancakes, Tidus was trying to figure out how to feel about the events that happened last night. He was currently sitting at the edge of the bed, contemplating on what to do. He had heard Yuna get up and leave when Kate knocked on the door. Of course he was enthralled about what occurred last night, but he wasn't too sure if that was the way to start a relationship with Yuna, he _knew _it wasn't. He hoped that if Yuna still wanted him, she wouldn't think any less of his commitment to her just because they basically dived into bed together. It wasn't only him that took part in the kiss that led to that; hell, it wasn't only him that took part in that in general.

Tidus's thoughts were interrupted by the creaking of the door. He looked up to see Yuna closing the door behind her.

"Kate woke up. She was hungry so I went to go make her pancakes and I made some for you, too. I didn't wake you up because you never were the morning person." She told him, while chewing on her lip, a habit that her father said she picked up from her mother when she got nervous.

Tidus gave her a small smile, "Thanks, but I think I'm going to jet out before Kate sees me and starts asking questions." He said. Though he knew leaving was the last thing he wanted to do, he just didn't want Kate to see him and start making assumptions.

"She fell back asleep. She usually never wakes up this early on the weekend, but I guess she was really hungry."

"Nobody can sleep with an empty stomach, especially me." He said, smiling at her, which she returned.

For what seemed like a long time, they just looked at each other, unsure of what to say. Yuna was the one that broke the silence.

"I wouldn't blame you if you thought last night was a mistake." She told him softly, while keeping her head down.

Tidus shifted uncomfortably on the bed, "Do you think it was a mistake?" He countered.

"I asked you first." She said sharply. Tidus gave out a small chuckle.

"Alright, you got me." He said, getting of the bed and stretching his arms out. He sighed and looked her straight in the eyes.

"Honestly…no, I don't think it was a mistake. I think we may have jumped the gun a little early on what we did, but I've always wanted to have something with you again, regardless of whether we have a kid or not." He admitted. He looked at her face, which still hadn't changed from its blank stare. He hoped she would show any sign of emotion.

Finally, she blinked her eyes and it seemed like she snapped out of the state she was in. She furrowed her eyebrows together, as if trying to figure out what to do.

"Tidus," She finally said, "I know what I want, but I'm not sure if the timing is just right now."

"And what do you want?" He asked her, urging for an answer from her.

"Why are you even asking me that, Tidus? I thought last night told you what I want." She gave him a look of bewilderment.

"I don't know, I just thought you didn't want me anymore; I don't think I'm enough for you. I think you deserve someone who'll always be there. Yuna, I'm going to be gone a lot once my hand heals up… I won't be able to be here for the both of you a lot until the summer. Even, then I'll have practices. I'm not saying I don't want to be with you –believe me I do- it's just that I want you to know what you're getting into to and-" He stopped when he felt a finger press to his lips. Yuna was now in front of him, which he hadn't noticed because of his constant avoiding of eye-contact.

"Tidus, I know. Believe me, I know. I don't want to talk about the what-ifs, I just want to enjoy now… right now," She cupped his face in her hands and made him lean down so her forehead was leaning against his, "I want to be with you."

Tidus couldn't help the grin that had made its way onto his face, which was now reflecting in Yuna's.

"You know," He started, grabbing a hold of her waist, "I thought about you probably more than I should have in Zanarkand. I fantasized about everything that could have been. I thought about marriage, children, and growing old together… all that stuff you see in movies that looks too good to be true for the guy that I was."

"Was?"

Tidus laughed and pulled her close and started swaying back and forth, "Was. I'm willing to dedicate myself to you. I'm in it for the long-run, Yuna." Yuna smiled into his chest, getting reacquainted with that old warm feeling she use to get with him.

"I'm glad." She whispered.

A phone ringing interrupted their moment. Tidus gave out a frustrated sigh at the familiar ring tone. He reluctantly pulled away from Yuna and went to retrieve his cell phone from the floor (he had flung the phone on the ground after being woken up last night by Kai).

"Hello, Mr. Buzzkill." He answered.

"Tidus now is not the time for your comments about me. People are starting to wonder why you're taking so long in Besaid. Their wondering if you're considering joining the Aurochs because you're best buddies with Wakka. I can't keep them off you for much longer. I know you're busy with that girl, but you need to come back…today." Kai's voice was laced with anger and urgency.

Tidus glanced at Yuna, who was looking at his with curious eyes, "I don't know if I can today, Kai; I'm very busy at the moment, actually." He said, flashing a smile in Yuna's direction.

"Tidus, I don't know what you're up to, I don't even think I want to know, but if this gets out that you're in Besaid because you want to be with your daughter, let's just say the you and your baby mama won't be too happy with cameras being shoved in your daughter's face; don't worry, the media hasn't gotten a hold of this information yet, I don't think they will, but if you keep spending so much time there, people will get suspicious."

Tidus sighed and rubbed him temples, "I know, I know. I'll come in today, just for show, of course. I'll do this as long as I can come back without the media on my trail."

"Okay, but you need to get this whole situation worked out. You're going to be playing as soon as that hand is healed, so I would have a talk about arrangements with them and with me so I can get them seats and what not. Listen, another option is possibly joining the Aurochs when the season ends. I'm sticking by you one-hundred percent no matter what you chose, of course."

Tidus hadn't thought about the possibility of joining the Aurochs. He never had because he never envisioned living in such a small place. He thought he would never settle down; on the other hand he never thought he would be a father, but things definitely change.

"You're a good friend, Kai." Tidus told him.

"But an even better manager. Now get your ass moving." And with that, Kai clicked his phone off. Tidus shut his phone off and turned back to Yuna, who looked very upset.

"You have to leave?" She asked, knowing the answer.

"Yeah, but I'll be coming back soon, I promise." He said, wrapping her in his arms which was a way of saying he was sorry.

"It's okay. It's just something I'm going to have to get use to, I suppose." She mumbled into his chest. He pulled away and gave her a small smile.

"You won't have to wait long," He pulled her back to him, but this time gently grabbing her face with his hands and giving her the kiss that always made her feel so weak, but at the same time, make her feel like she did when they were teenagers.

"I'll see you soon." He whispered, making his way to the door. Before he left, he turned back to her

"Tell Kate I'll be back in a couple days and that I love her."

"I will." She nodded at him. He gave her a wide grin, before quietly making his way down the stairs and out the door.

Yuna watched from the window as he made his way to his car with Rocky and drive off down the road. She smiled to herself. _This is going to be a hard journey, but I'm confident we'll conquer the battles in our path and come out victorious…if not for us, then for her. _


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: I'm suprising myself here, guys. I feel bad when I start a chapter and get half of it done and just don't touch it, like I did with this chapter, so I had to finish it to get rid of that feeling. Thanks to razorstar90 for the heads-up. Honestly, before I started chapter 7, I skimmed the chapters because I forgot some details, so I knew I was going to have some sort of slip-up. I made the small correction in the chapter 9 having to do with Kai's knowledge of Kate, so thanks again. Apprécier!

* * *

Tidus stared at his now somewhat-improving team. They were definitely improving with his absence, but you could tell there was so much more potential. Tidus was sitting in the stands during their practice. He had just arrived in Zanarkand a mere 2 hours ago. Kai had rushed him here, and in the process of doing so, had been swarmed by the paparazzi as he was making his way in the stadium. They had walked in during practice, so they decided not to interrupt.

"Their doing…well." Kai said from beside him.

"They'll be fine for a couple more days." Tidus assured him as he examined them closely. He'll admit, they were missing shots that a paid professional really shouldn't be missing.

"The only thing that bugs me is that I can play now; I have no idea why coach won't let me play." Tidus was frustrated to say the least. To see his teammates out there playing the sport that he loved with a passion. His finger was fine; he could bend it without it hurting in the least.

"Tidus, you know he's just being cautious…unlike you. He wants to make sure you're ready to go 100 percent for the game." The game that Kai was talking about was against the Luca Goers. Tidus was sure the coach wanted him to come back for that game on Friday night. What a game that will be with the Abes most hated rival. Tidus remembered one particular game: It was a land-slide victory for the Abes, one in which the Goers wouldn't let go of. They had stalked the Abes team to a local bar, which resulted in a heated confrontation. They had found themselves outside the bar and in an alley alongside it. Punches were thrown and even a couple players had to be taken to the hospital. Liam, the Abe's goalie, was by-far the worst. His head was smashed off the concrete wall when one of the Luca players shoved him back. He had to be put in a medically induced coma from the amount of brain damage he had. He survived, but it took him awhile to get his motor skills back. Needless to say he couldn't play anymore. The Luca player was jailed for a short time, before being released and ordered to do community service and pay a hefty fine by the league. The Abes players vowed to get their revenge, not by fighting, but by winning the upcoming game, in which they demolished the Goers, 5-1

Tidus smiled as he remembered how enthusiastic his team had gotten after the game. They had immediately gone to the hospital, in which the nurse yelled at them for being so loud and told Liam, who had been awake from his coma for 2 weeks, about their win. They as a team, had given a generous amount of money to Liam and his family, which consisted of a wife and 2 daughters.

Tidus never thought about how he and his teammates were so much like a family. He'll admit that he was seriously thinking about going to the Aurochs after the season ends…he still is. In the end, he has to do what's best for his actual family: Yuna and Kate. He wasn't worried about being accepted to the Aurochs with open-arms, he was already good friends with more than half the team, especially Wakka, who he had grown up with. He was worried about how the Abes would take it. He would hope that they accept that fact that he had a daughter, and he wasn't going to be the father who she saw every other week…not like his father.

Tidus shook the thoughts out of his head as he saw that practice was now ending. He knew that he'd have to do and say those things eventually, but not now.

"Come on." He told Kai as he got up and went for the locker room.

When he entered the room, he was greeted with pats on the back. It was clear to see that his teammates were excited to see him after his leave of absence.

"Where the hell have you been, T?" One his teammates asked.

"I went back to Besaid." He told them simply. He knew he was asking for trouble.

"No, we know that. What we don't get is why you're going there all of a sudden. You haven't even visited ever since we've known you. The only time you're there is when we have to play, and even then you bolt it right out of there. So what's up with that?" Tidus didn't know what to say. He couldn't tell them the actual reason.

"I was reminiscing with old friends. I was born there. Thanks for knowing so much about me, guys." He told them, trying to sound believable.

"Old friends, huh? Does that include a girl who you use to date?" One asked, trying to pry for answers.

"You guys really believe those damn tabloid magazines?" He shouted at them.

"It's not just the magazine. I don't want to see your ugly-ass face on the TV when I'm eating. It messes with my appetite." His teammate, Leo, joked. He always got fed up with people obsessed with Tidus's looks, so he always expresses the opposite opinion just to piss Tidus off.

"Well, regardless, they're complete lies." Tidus concluded. He was trying to just get them to drop this whole conversation.

"Good to know. I wouldn't want the paps going around saying I have a kid, either." Tidus froze. They saw that, too?

"Let's drop this whole discussion about stupid tabloids, guys. We need to know when Tidus is going to get off his bum and get back to saving ours." The coach intervened. Tidus let out a sigh of relief. Tidus was glad that the coach always stepped in to help out him.

"Well we all know he's going to come back when we go to Luca to kick some ass."

"I wouldn't want it any other way, guys." Tidus told them, laughing as they cheered as a team.

What a long day Tidus thought to himself as he drove home. It was all media appearances after staying with his teammates a little longer. He was physically and mentally drained to say the least; Kai had talked him into staying a few more days on top of that. He made a mental note to call Yuna as soon as he got home to tell her of his extended stay.

Tidus felt a little angry when he spotted a familiar red Audi parked in the front of his home. Why was she here? Did she not get the memo that they were done when he had confronted her about cheating on him with that sleazy lawyer, and she tried so hard to change the subject on and never once denied it?

Tidus parked his SUV out front and slammed the car door. He noticed that the lights were on in the house, which made him wish he would've switched the locks when he had the chance.

He opened slowly opened the door, checking to see if she was anywhere in sight, but he couldn't spot her. He heard noise coming from the kitchen.

"Dona?" He called out. He stopped just short of the kitchen when he saw the figure of his ex-girlfriend come out. Her face lit up at the sight of him. She shouted his name and ran to him, arms open, only to be stopped by him grabbing her forearms and holding her back.

"What are you doing here?" He said calmly, trying hard not to lose his temper, but finding it hard not to as he couldn't think of anyone who wouldn't be angry at their ex basically breaking into their house.

"Why I'm here to welcome you back from your trip to that boring small town. It's nice to be back to the city, isn't it?" She said, getting her forearms out of his hold and pressing her hands onto his chest, rubbing up and down on it.

"No, it's not. Now please, Dona, get out of my house." He grabbed her upper arms and started guiding her towards the door, but she was resilient as she resisted his efforts.

"But Tidus, I made dinner for us! We can talk about your stay if you want."

"Dona, your definition of talk is completely different from other peoples' definitions," Tidus and she never talked when he wanted to; it would always turn into her distracting him with sex or heated make-out sessions, "Now I'm begging you to please leave and please get out of my life."

"Why? So you can go run off back to Besaid with that girl!" She spat out. She obviously knew about Yuna.

"What I do with my time and who I spend it with is none of your business." He was starting to lose his cool…fast.

"I'm everything she isn't Tidus; I'm beautiful, rich, compassionate-"

Tidus laughed, "She is everything to me! And _you're _not rich, your father is, and you just keep sponging off of him. And compassionate? Please, Dona! Being compassionate isn't going around having sex with someone while you're in a relationship!

"It was a mistake, Tidus. I thought we talked about this!" Oh, they had, but as Tidus remembered, he specifically told her to stay away from him.

"We broke up. Two months ago, Dona. Get over it and get out." He said, pointing to the door.

She let out a whine before furiously grabbing her purse and marching toward the door.

"We're not done, Tidus! I'll be back, don't you worry." She said over her shoulder before slamming the door shut.

"Yeah, I know you will." He muttered under his breath. He now had a repulsive smell coming from the kitchen (thanks to Dona's _fantastic_ cooking), he had a massive migraine, he was exhausted, and now he had to worry about a psycho ex-girlfriend ruining his life. Yeah, life was great.


End file.
